Night Guardian
by Z.A.G
Summary: On the nights of the new moon she takes it upon herself to watch over him.


Ha ha…. Yeah. Well, after reading RavensFirefly's new work for the category I started reading her old stuff and that led to inspiring me to write this. I dunno if I will continue this or if I will just leave it as a one chapter thing. If I do continue it, then the chapters would always be during the New Moon. Anyways, I might have the characters OOC a little but I haven't watched the anime in sooooo long so sue me _

Disclaimer- I don't have any rights to Inuyasha

It was that time of the month again. The time where the cosmic balance between the party is shifted due to the dreadful _period._ Contrary to what one might be thinking, this isn't the famous period that men cringe and shy away from their women. No, this was the period, the new moon, the single day that the gang has to deal with an even more irritated Hanyou than normal. They may lose track of the phases of the moon and they may allow it to slip their mind before the night of the new moon; but, they are quickly reminded the day off through Inuyasha's indirect reminder of it. It's not that he has to remind them that they would be on their own for the night but his sour attitude being amplified by ten is a clear indication that it was his time of the month.

To make matters worse, they had all taken a job to slay a demon that very day for the village. Inuyasha had claimed they would be able to slay it before the sun went down but they had little to no luck tracking it down and killing it. They retreated back to the village and Inuyasha took up residence in a small hut away from the others before the sun completely settled down. Miroku had charmed his way into allowing them free meals and residence for the night because they were hunting the demon down that had been ransacking the village for well over three months now. Of course, this also led to many grand openings for him to converse with the maidens of the village- much to Sango's displeasure.

Kagome had tried several times for the first hour that Inuyasha locked himself in the small hut to allow her to join him. Time and time again the human-Hanyou had barked her away and refused to unlock the door for whatever reason until he the sun would raise. Not even when she tried to coax him with a bowl of fresh ramen would he be tricked into opening the door. So, with much distress and regret, Kagome had left to take up residence elsewhere along with Shippou. Fortunately, they all had been given different places to stay for the night and even in Sango's current position she could imagine Miroku having several offers to stay at _offer_ locations. In fact, she had given him a firm slap across the face before she had finally settled where she was.

The demon slayer had opted to stick by Inuyasha's hut, right outside of it actually. There was still the bowl of ramen that Kagome had left in front of the door in case Inuyasha had decided to take it when she left; which he undoubtedly would. Inuyasha was strong even as a human, anyone who knew him would be aware of that. He was still agile on his feet and could overpower the average man; however, he still fought like a demon and the tactlessness of his strategy in battle would likely get him killed in his vulnerable state. If that demon that was attacking the village came by tonight, there was a chance that it might coax Inuyasha into fighting it. The Hanyou would see the attack as a challenge and he was always on the prowl to prove that he was better than anyone regardless of any situation.

Being the professional demon slayer that she is, Sango naturally took it upon herself to stay guard tonight for the village and to make sure that Inuyasha wouldn't do something stupid. There was also the fact that she was avoiding Houshi-sama and this would be the last place he'd look for her. Kagome had either ignored her presence of just completely missed it all together when she had arrived earlier; either way was fine with Sango. She preferred to be left alone on nights like this as well. When Inuyasha was vulnerable, the dynamics of battle were shifted and their strength was greatly dampened. It was hard to feel like everyone had each other's backs during the new moon. Kagome was always too concerned about Inuyasha's wellbeing and generally speaking, it was Sango and Inuyasha who were usually fighting side by side against the demons while Miroku and Kagome gave support fire one way or another. They were the ones that were usually facing off head to head with demons. The team worked best that way but when Inuyasha was in the state that he was in now, it only made the tactics of the battlefield shift to what they aren't normally accustomed to.

Currently she was sitting off to the side of the door. She didn't care so much about the dirt getting on her kimono- it was for travel to begin with. She still had her slayers uniform on underneath and all the hidden weapons. The largest of her weapons she had leaning against the wall as well. She would like to say that sunrise was just moments away but what felt like six hours was equivalent to a single one. The night was dragging and having been given a reason to slap Miroku just put her in more of a sour mood. Kagome last visited fifteen minutes ago and the bowl of ramen was sure to be cooled off. It would only be a matter of time before bugs would start attacking it unless Inuyasha opened the door. She had briefly played with the thought of eating it herself and she would have if it hadn't been the fact that she wasn't particularly hungry at the moment.

She heard the lock being released from the door and she immediately reached out to the ramen. As the door opened up, she lifted the ramen up into the air from her current position. There was a pause and for a moment she thought he wouldn't take it. When she was just about to lower the bowl she felt two human hands slightly overlap her own before the bowl was lifted. She didn't turn her head to look and her arm dropped just as the door closed again and the lock was set back into place. It had been predicable to say the least. Sango knew, as much as Kagome that Inuyasha would eventually open that door to get the ramen so long as he thought no one would be there to bother him. He probably didn't expect her to be right outside of the door. Actually, _probably_ wasn't the correct word Sango would use, he simply _didn't_ expect her to be there. She knew this as much as she knew that he would grow irritated by her presence and question her why she was there to begin with.

The demon slayer gave Inuyasha some credit though because she expected it would just take as much time as it does for him to finish off the ramen. He proved her wrong in that respect because she waited for a good thirty minutes before she heard the lock released and the door crack open just a bit. "What are _you_ doing there, stupid?" Inuyasha hissed barely in a whisper.

Sango couldn't help but have the smallest traces of a smile cross her lips before she shifted her gaze toward the sky. "Looking at the stars." Was her simple reply. She knew he wouldn't appreciate her honest answer of watching over him in his vulnerable state. It's silly that he gets upset over such things because it should be expected of comrades. He does the same thing whenever someone else is hurt- he's watched over her whenever she was weakened or injured so naturally she would return the favor- even if Inuyasha wouldn't accept it.

"That's stupid." A typical answer coming from the Hanyou, "Why are you doing it _here."_ His voice was filled with suspicion and if she could see his eyes she would see that his eyes matched his tone.

"There's nobody here to bother me."

"But I'm here. So go do it elsewhere." And then he shut the door once again. Sango merely clasped her hands around one of her knees and continued to look up into the sky. She didn't move and she didn't intend on moving. Inuyasha should know the obvious reason as to why she was there to begin with even if he wouldn't accept or admit it. The Hanyou always desired to go about things in a roundabout way after all.

To be perfectly honest, there were no stars for her to stare at tonight. They were covered by a blanket of dark clouds and Sango could smell the scent of the rain that threatened to break through from the heavens. The overhang from the hut would supply her with enough cover, she believed, so she was not concerned if it did start to rain. The thought of rain vanished from her thoughts as she heard the lock of the door being released once more; causing that familiar upturn of her lips to reappear.

"Why are you _still _here?" She heard him hiss out. Clearly he was beginning to get annoyed with her.

"There's nobody here to bother me." She gave the same response as last time.

"But I'm here." It was déjà vu and he paused for a moment when he realized this. "You idiot woman, go to sleep. You'll be tired and we won't be able to hunt down that stupid demon."

"Oh? So you do need me for the hunt?"

"Keh! I didn't say that. I could kill that demon without any of you." That cocky attitude didn't seem to disappear with his demon qualities; however –

"I guess it doesn't matter if I stay here then."

"Feh…" Although she hadn't turned to look at him; she knew at this point that he was scowling. Inuyasha was a powerful adversary in battle but when it came to the battle of wits he usually came up shorthanded. Granted he never would admit defeat and he never seems to know when to back down. "I don't need you watching over me like some halfassed bodyguard."

"Clearly you do if you intend to lock yourself in during these nights."

"I don't lock-"

"And are too afraid to come out in case of an attack."

"That's bull-"

"It's only one night, and then you can go back to sleeping in trees."

He may be a human but his growl still sounded like that from a dog demon. Sango didn't move and she wasn't fazed by the threatening sound either. On a one-on-one fight between them with Inuyasha's current state, Sango is more than confident that she would win. She is also more than confident that he would never attack any of them to begin with. He could argue, rant, and threaten all he wants but his threats were pretty much empty. They all had been traveling together enough to know that much by now.

There was a roll of thunder in the distance before a streak of lightning went across the night sky. Sango didn't make a move. "…You're going to get soaked." Inuyasha decided to point out the obviously.

"I'll be fine."

"You'll get sick and slow us down more."

"I'll be fine."

There was another growl that came from Inuyasha, "Fine! Stay there, get drenched, get sick, but I'm not dragging your ass around and we aren't stopping when you are too tired to continue on!"

He slammed the door. She didn't move from the spot and listened to the sounds of the thunder and the wind picking up. She listened to Inuyasha's feet stomping in his hut as he made his way back into some corner. What she didn't hear was the latch of the lock from the door being put back on and she could only laugh silently. He may not like to admit it or show it for that matter, but Inuyasha cared about all their wellbeing and would even go out of his comfort zone to ensure they would be alright; even if he _tries_ to be discreet about it.


End file.
